kimono party (with a vengeance)

Hey - what can I say? Except this year I chose I more subtle color, hairstyle, and all-around attitude.

It's amazing how calm you can be when you're not frantic for pictures.

When it came to my hair thought, they were really excited to tease and tassel me. I remembered how I looked like a muffin-top last time, my face always reflecting the shades of pink and red from all angles and generally looking like a cherry tomato. I actually began to cry tears of frustration after I told them I wanted to tone it down, and they interpreted it as "more volume". They got the message and I ended up being the envy of girls for not submitting to poofy peer-pressure. :D

As the only foreign girl to attend the event a second time in a row, I was placed at the beginning of the tea ceremony line. While I did my best to sit in seiza and not have my robe open and scandalize the room, trying to pretend that I understood the protocol was stressful. Luckily, I could take hints from the MC and pass them along to my friends. Knowledge is power but cheating is (sometimes) a necessary evil. Kids, don't do this at school.

Afterward, we ate at MARUBUN, the lovely Italian restaurant in my town and then took print club stickers to commemorate the event. Cheers.

Halloween: the Day of the Dead

Last year I ran about the town dressed in drag.

This year, I was having none of that.

But, I wanted to continue to embrace Japanese Culture and enrich the lives of others.

SO...

I decided to be a lolicon! Gothic Lolita forever!

You think America is emo[tional]? Try a level up and make your angst into an art.

planned a Halloween lesson for the 30th of October, the Friday before the actual day. However, as I felt a bit put off by wearing such elegance to a junior high school, I opted for a more kid-friendly package: the Pink Panther.

You'd be surprised what characters from foreign countries penetrate the land of the rising sun and shine brightly in the eyes of children. I am. Every day.

So after I explained how it's popular for students and (sometimes) teachers to wear a costume to school in America, some of my female students were inspired to try on my costume. I encouraged this as it is a way from them to get over their embarrassment of looking silly in a public setting while indulging their natural desire to dress up. Some girls even told me they planned to buy their own version of the fleece pajamas (they come in many characters: stitch, care bear, minnie mouse, etc.)

I now use the pajamas in place of an actual heater. Heh.

Halloween night...well, it was interesting to say the least. My costume wins for most effort, though it seemed to scare many foreigners. However, Japanese people loved it and I was stopped the most for photographs. My new friend Tracey dressed up as a male host (and rocked it!) while Alexa was ganguro. We were the only ones who represented Japan, and I have to say, we made Japan proud